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A Day of Art & Culture in Cavtat & Konavle

Traditions of Cavtat and Konavle Valley

We begin our journey of art exploration 17 kilometers south of Dubrovnik, in the small harbor town of Cavtat. This picturesque seaside town, home of the celebrated Croatian painter Vlaho Bukovac (1855-1922) is a fascinating and cultured destination. Pass the St. Nicholas church, your guide will take you down a beautiful seaside promenade through the town to the former home of Vlaho Bukovac. Tucked away from the main promenade, his childhood home has been (re)turned into a work of art in itself. Displaying magnificent friezes depicting birds, animals and rural scenes, and also holding a valuable collection of his works and personal artefacts, which makes this a very intimate visit. At the 15th century Franciscan monastery at the northern end of the promenade, we will climb to the ever more impressive Racic Mausoleum. Built in the early 20th century by a famous Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, this mausoleum is also a tribute to everlasting love by wealthy local ship-owning family. The Mausoleum is on top of a steep, wooded hill at the very tip of the peninsula on which Cavtat rests.We continue our journey to Konavle valley and the town Gruda for a presentation on silk production and the embroidery of Konavle. The area comprising the Konavle region has for centuries been renowned for the production of silk yarn, where it was used to decorate male and notably female national costumes. Konavle embroidery is an important part of the national costume of this small region and through the ages it has developed its own artistic language transforming into something much more than simple decoration.We complete this tour in an authentic tavern deep in the hillside where you will get to savor the finest lamb slowly roasted under a thick iron pan covered in hot coals, also known as a 'Peka'. Yours to enjoy with a glass of delicious local wine!Optional extra: Participate in a silk making workshop – try your hand in producing silk the way it has been done in Konavle for centuries and make your own souvenir.

Inclusions

Collection from your hotel, villa or private apartment in Dubrovnik by our professional English speaking chauffeur and local guide in a comfortable luxury sedan car or passenger van, private walking tour of Cavtat and the entrance ticket to the former house of Vlaho Bukovac (gallery at present), Racic Masoleum, authentic silk production and Konavle embroidery presentation in Gruda, traditional peka lunch in Konavle with local wine.

Quick facts

Available year round9:30 AM departure from your hotel or other meeting place (can be adjusted)Please dress in comfortable walking shoes and don't forget your camera – great photo opportunities!

Cost

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Bukovac was born some 16 kms south of Dubrovnik, in a small seaside town called Cavtat. His birth name was Biagio Faggioni, as his father was an Italian from Genoa, and his mother was of Croatian descent.Bukovac received his artistic education in Paris at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts and became well-known as an excellent portraitist but also as one of Croatia's leading landscape painters who was often mixing mythology and folk tales in his work.He spent the last twenty years of his life in Prague teaching, but spending most summers in Cavtat. He died in Prague in 1922 and is buried in Cavtat. His works can be seen at his birth house museum in Cavtat, the Franciscan church there and the Ethnographic museum in Konavle and St. Dominic's church in Dubrovnik.